[reefburnaby]

Hi,

A mandarin fish is fairly hard to keep if you aren't aware of its requirements. Its a pod eating criters and some like to eat flatworms. So, if you have a flatworm infestation...it might stay alive by eating those guys. Since most of us don't have this problems, you'll need a setup to re-generate pods fairly quickly. So, you'll need areas that fish can't get access to (i.e. refugium or stacked boulders) so that pods have an area to themselves. You'll also need to feed you pods more often (i.e. feed the substrate) to regenerate the pods.

When you buy a mandarain, make sure it is a very very healthy specimen. It has to be nice and fat.

If you perform the necessary preparations and understand your animal, then it is possible to keep a mandarin for a long time.

Victor.